24 Everyday Items That Have A Purpose Almost No One Knows About

It’s easy to take certain objects for granted. Our lives are filled with all kinds of odds and ends, gadgets and gizmos that play small but important roles in our everyday routines, and we often use them without giving them a second thought.

However, many of these objects were designed much more cleverly than we think. Here are some everyday items that have surprisingly handy purposes that you’ve probably never considered!

1. The Hole on the End of a Tape Measure

This little hole is actually there so you can secure the end of the tape measure to a nail or screw and measure without the tape slipping.

2. The Hole in an Airplane Window

These little holes are there for two reasons. The first is that the pressure difference between the outside and inside of the cabin is significant, and the hole takes some of the pressure off the outside window. The other is that it keeps the windows from fogging up.

3. The Extra Piece of Fabric With New Clothes

Most people assume that these extra swaths of fabric are there to use as a patch, but they’re actually for testing how the fabric will react to different detergents and stain removers!

4. The Tiny Jeans Pocket

This tiny little pocket actually dates back to the earliest denim pants designs, and its purpose shows its age: it’s there to hold a pocket watch!

5. The Studs on Jeans

The studs on jeans go back to the time when they were the work pants of choice for many laborers. Levi Strauss put the studs there to reinforce the pants’ seams in areas that experienced a lot of stress and wear.

6. The Holes in Converse Sneakers

The holes in the sides of Chuck Taylor All-Stars serve one obvious purpose — ventilation — and one less obvious one. When the sneakers were used as basketball shoes, laces could be threaded through the side holes for a more snug fit.

7. The Hole in a Pen Cap

Many people think the hole in a pen cap has something to do with keeping the pen from drying out, but that’s not quite right. It’s actually there so that if a child were to choke on the pen cap, their airway wouldn’t be fully blocked.

8. The End of a Tape Measure’s Serrated Edge

The ridged edge is there so you can make a measurement mark while both your hands are busy using the tape measure!

9. The Hole on a Pot Handle

The most obvious reason for the hole at the end of a pot handle is to hang the pot, but it has another use too. The next time you need somewhere to put the spoon you’re cooking with, you’ve got a handy spot!

10. The Hole in The Pasta Spoon

The hole is obviously there to strain the pasta and let the water flow out, but on most models of pasta spoons, the hole is about the right size to measure out one serving of spaghetti!

11. The Arrow on the Gas Gauge

This little arrow is secretly very useful, especially if you’re driving a rental car. It indicates the side of the vehicle on which the gas cap is located!

12. The Zigzag Side of a Bobby Pin

The grooved edge of a bobby pin is actually the bottom part, because it helps hold hair in place better if it faces toward the scalp.

13. The Hole in the Bottom of a Padlock

This little hole serves a couple of purposes. The first is as drain, so if you use your padlock outside, water doesn’t get trapped inside and damage the lock by freezing or rusting the parts. The second is as an opening to oil the lock to keep inner mechanisms working perfectly.

14. The Thick Part of Power Cables

These cylindrical little things that are on a lot of power cords contain chunks of magnetized iron oxide. They’re there to prevent electromagnetic interference, which you might recognize from times where a cell phone goes off too close to speaker and causes it to make weird noise. These little things on a wire prevent that from happening to monitors, power supplies, and other important electronics.

15. Utility Knife Blades

You might notice that the blade of your utility knife is scored. This is so you can break off the dull part of the blade and have a nice new sharp one in its place. Simply snap off the back piece of the knife and you’ll find that it matches to the blade perfectly and can be used to snap off the old part.

16. The Spikes on Tube and Bottle Caps

This little spike exists so you can unscrew the cap on a new bottle, flip it, and punch through the foil cover on the bottle’s opening!

17. The Bumps on the “F” and “J” Keys

The little grooves on the “F” and “J” keys are to mark the home keys where your index fingers should rest in proper typing position. This helps you keep track of where your fingers are without looking at the keyboard!

18. The Hole in Rulers

This one’s obvious: to hang up the ruler!

19. The Wings on an Apple Power Cable

The wings are actually there to wrap the cable around neatly and avoid tangles when transporting it.

We saved the best for last. Find out the real purposes behind more everyday objects on the last page!

20. The Dot Beside an iPhone Camera

The little dot is actually a microphone for when you use the back camera.

21. Indentation on a Tic-Tac Cap

The indentation on the lid of a package of Tic-Tacs is there to serve as a perfect single-Tic-Tac dispenser.

22. The Disc on a Plastic Bottle Cap

If you ever pry out one of these plastic pieces, you’ll notice that the lid still closes just fine…or it appears to anyway. The plastic discs are there to hold in carbonation, and if you remove one, it may seem like your bottle is closed tightly but you’ll find that the soda quickly goes flat.

23. The Blue Side of an Eraser

The rumor is that the blue side erases ink, and that’s true…but only on very thick, durable paper. The blue eraser is tougher than the pink side and will tear most normal paper.

24. The Indentation at the Bottom of a Wine Bottle

The common explanation it that this indentation helps a waiter or server get a better grasp on the bottle while pouring. It’s actually to help regulate the pressure experienced by the bottle during the corking process. The sides and bottoms are weak spots, so the indentation equalizes the pressure throughout the bottle. You’ll find the indentation is deeper on champagne bottles because the carbonation causes more pressure.

Wow! These are all super common items, but who ever really stopped and considered what their purpose was? I guess you learn something new everyday!